A St. George's mother who faced down weapon-wielding thugs who threatened her family has called for a protest march after slamming Police for lack of action over teen gangs.

Rose Burchall believes the same group of youths are responsible for torching her son's VW convertible in Tobacco Bay.

She said the blaze on Tuesday was only feet from her house which could have gone up in smoke if the petrol tank had exploded.

Arsonists are thought to have burned another car minutes later.

She said Police are running scared of the youths in St. George's.

She said: "It's got to the point where we have to march to let them know we are not going to take it anymore.

"It's getting out of hand. I don't know what their next move will be."

Mrs. Burchall said the fears were affecting her sleep. She said the gang hangs out in Duke of York Street and had targeted her family over a row over a counterfeit note and had turned up with machetes and an illegal stun gun after the family complained about the dud $50.

She said: "They tried to get at my son, jabbing him with the electric gun." Mrs Burchall said she had to face down the gang of five to get them to disperse in the incident several months ago.

Yesterday Police said they had no record of the incident or the gang.

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said: "We don't have a formal complaint. It's only a complaint when it is documented."

But Mrs. Burchall said some of the youths had been held for 72 hours after the incident and five members of her family had given statements to the CID.

"Police should not be moving out of St. George's. I get the impression police are scared," she said. "These children don't respect anyone or work to support themselves. I went to talk to a couple of their parents but nothing was done. I hope they do pass a law to hold parents responsible.

"They won't come one to one, they come in a posse."

And a gang of youths pelted a woman in St. David's on Tuesday after she called the Police.

New Mount Area Bar manager Shane Weeks said his mother had rocks thrown at her in retaliation for calling the Police.

He said she was not hurt but that drug-using youths were continually blocking customers from coming to his bar near the St. David's Lighthouse and stopping tourists from using the bus shelter.

"Things are escalating. It's happening nightly," he said, adding that groups of 20 gathered but dispersed as soon as they saw Police coming.

"They are jeering and they threatened my brother, they are trying anything to antagonise us. They are trying to squeeze the life out of this business."Mr. Weeks said cameras would catch the thugs and also provide evidence for parents who refused to believe their children were responsible.

He said: "There's a whole lot of negative stuff going on."

Community leader Toppy Cowen said St. George's residents were anger over what the arson attacks which he said were a tragic and aggressive display of hostility.

Mr. Cowen said: "As our leaders move forward with alternatives to incarceration some feel too much emphasis is being accentuated toward assisting criminals as opposed to caring for the victim.

"The subject is of course debatable and only time will determine the best course of action."

The Police Eastern Division Consultative Committee will meet this Friday with Public Safety Minister Terry Lister over crime in the old town and a public meeting is to be set up soon.